Captain's Blog

Dr. Herb Spiegel on Cancer

Ron_Eslinger — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 18:39:33 +0000

by Ron Eslinger
www.eslinger.net

During his years as a cancer surgeon, Dr. Herb Siegel realized he saw only the disease, and never saw the patient. Now Dr. Siegel does more talking than he does surgery, teaching cancer patients how to think and how to view themselves. He uses hypnosis in the form of guided imagery and he guides the patient through particular thought processes, dealing with their perceptions of the disease and their emotions. During his lectures, he discusses the miraculous changes that he sees in working with cancer patients in this manner and the successful regression of their disease.

Recently, I worked with a young lady to relieve her of headaches associated with Glioblastoma (terminal brain cancer, typically nonresponsive to chemotherapy and surgery). Glioblastoma tumors are quick and very active. Her doctor told her she had three weeks to live. Her husband insisted she try hypnosis. Over the first eight months, her MRIs and PT Scans showed that her tumor had shrunk after the hypnosis sessions. She was healthier, smiling when she came in for her sessions. She was happy and she laughed often.

Her sessions changed her whole attitude about her illness and her treatments. Hypnosis helped her developed an attitude of wellbeing. She did not report anymore headaches or pain after the second session and her edema (swelling) disappeared. In fact, her hypnosis and self hypnosis helped her successfully undergo chemotherapy, which is rare for Glioblastoma. Her three-week prognosis for death became an additional three years of life for her. Unfortunately, major stresses caused her cancer to return after three years of remission and she died.

Another woman I treated had lung cancer. By the time the cancer was diagnosed, she was already at the terminal stage. She was in terrible pain and surgery was not an option for her. Hypnosis helped control her pain and made her chemotherapy treatments easy. She never lost her hair, nor did she feel nauseous. Hypnosis helped her through the difficult stages of fighting her cancer. As her anesthetist, her mindset was essential in using hypnosis as the anesthetic.

Just a few years ago, physicians and medical professionals believed no relationship existed between the immune system and the psychological processes of the body. It was ascertained that the immune system was not connected to the endocrine system at all. Today, we understand the connection between mind and body down to the molecular level. In fact, researchers classify Psychoneuroimmunology as the study of the interaction between psychological processes and the nervous and immune systems. A great example of this is reflexology, the practice of applying pressure to specific parts of the feet to affect organs throughout the body. No one is certain how massaging feet benefits someone’s mind or any other part of the body. However, it works because everything is connected.

The nature of Psychoneuroimmunology is in a relationship between the organs of the immune system and the sympathetic nervous system. Catecholamine neurotransmitter receptors work together with the body and its organs: the thymus, the bone marrow, the spleen and lymph nodes. The resulting effect is that our thoughts make a difference. If we take those thoughts and simultaneously enter an alpha or theta brain wave frequency, we can bypass our critical state. It is how one talks to the subconscious autonomic nervous system, changing old experiences and perceptions through what is said.

The sympathetic nerve endings in the immune system’s organs make contact with lymphocytes thus, the brain is physically connected to the immune system. When I work with people that have immune system problems, I show them a 15-minute animated video of how the immune system works. Afterward, when I talk to them about bringing their immune system in to focus or bringing in armies to demolish the cancer cell, they can visualize the functions of the immune system. They visualize the cancer cell as a tiny individual cell that they have control over. They can mentally close off the blood supply to that cell, stopping its growth. The cell is visually cut off from its own lifeline and disintegrates as a result. There are many reports of successful recoveries using visualization techniques and hypnosis. I do not consider these miracles, as hypnosis does not create miracles. But certainly, I have seen miraculous things happen through the use of hypnosis.

The central nervous system is involved in the mediation of feelings. It is connected to the immune system through the brain and the mind. Think of the mind in two parts: the conscious (cognitive) mind and the subconscious (automatic) mind. The two minds must work together to create health and happiness. Stress activates both the conscious and the subconscious mind. Later, I will discuss in greater detail, the roll stress plays relative to pain and other diseases.

Cortisol is a stress fight or flight hormone designed for release in short bursts. It is an essential hormone for survival that is responsible for producing and maintaining high levels of glucose necessary for our response to stress.

Abnormally high levels of cortisol are released in response to high stress, or fight or flight reactions. These high levels of cortisol increase gluconeogenesis, resulting in the breakdown of muscle proteins, among other problems. The result contributes to numerous pain syndromes, including fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, and lupus. Often, these syndromes do not present in patients absent of other ailments. I see a great deal of individuals suffering from fibromyalgia. Patients with fibromyalgia also have other co-morbidities that can include chronic fatigue syndrome, migraine headaches, chemical sensitivities, or temporal mandibular joint (TMJ). There are always at least two other co-morbidities involved when a person is diagnosed with fibromyalgia.

Lupus is an autoimmune disease caused by an abnormal increase in the immune system that causes pain in skin, joints, muscles, kidneys and other organs. It is as though the body is fighting against itself and its own immune system. Psychoneuroimmunology demonstrates the relationship between the immune system and the psychological process. Hypnosis works well with Lupus patients because hypnosis makes it possible to communicate with the Hypothalamus to help with auto-regulation. Remember, everything is connected.

By using hypnosis to work with the Hypothalamus, we change the stress response. Hypnosis allows a focused concentration and relaxation, resulting in an increase in oxygen throughout the body’s cells. This increase in oxygen has a major influence on decreasing a patient’s pain levels. As an example, a muscle cramp is the direct result of squeezing blood and oxygen out of muscle cells. The lack of oxygen in muscle cells causes the cramping pain, just as a lack of oxygen in any cell results in pain. Replenishing cells with oxygen through hypnosis reduces pain just as stretching muscle cells increases blood flow (i.e. oxygen) and reduces pain.

“Ouch! Pain Cost Employers $80 Billion Annually”

Summarized from a Reuters Health/ABC News Story, August 21, 2002

Attack Cancer by Super Charging your Immune System a 2 CD set found at www.healthyvisions.net or
www.eslinger.net

The Limbic System and the Body Part 1

Ron_Eslinger — Wed, 26 May 2010 17:44:04 +0000

The Limbic System and the Body
by Ron Eslinger, CRNA

The Hypothalamus, also a part of the Limbic System, is concerned with homeostasis of the body (homeostasis is maintaining the body at a baseline). The Hypothalamus regulates blood pressure, heart rate, hunger, thirst, sexual desire, the sleep cycle, and body temperature. Injury to the Hypothalamus can result in a continuing rise of body temperature in a patient. The body temperature keeps going up or down because the injury damaged the Hypothalamus and now the body’s regulatory system is out. Keep in mind; our body temperature is regulated to tenths of a degree to keep the body functioning normally.

As stated earlier, homeostasis is the process of returning something to a predetermined set point. The body’s normal set point is to feel comfortable. They go in hypnosis is to return those with chronic pain, back to a set point of comfort or to reach activate that set point. I do this in hypnosis by asking the client to remember what comfort felt like and to let every sale remember what normal is. Every 90 days soft tissue cells divide into a daughter cell and the mother cells die. Skeletal cells divide in this same manner every 180 days. The memory DNA from the mother cell is transferred to the new daughter cell during the division process. Fortunately, DNA memory in the cell can be changed. When we change how we think and how we talk to ourselves, we influence the memories in the cells. This is synonymous with an upgrade.

However, to obtain this memory upgrade, we have to upgrade our thinking. Through positive self-talk and concentrated focus, we override the memory of existing pain. In this manner, your brain is operating as a thermostat, regulating memories back to a set point and creating new memories to pass on to the new daughter cells. These new memories create new behaviors. This process works whether the new memory is positive or negative. Negative new memories reinforce pain, resulting in the continued memory of pain (chronic pain) or the worsening of pain. When the client activates lots of positive new memories of what being normal is for each sale that sale will send a signal of comfort to the brain. There is no pain, until the message gets to the brain.

The Hypothalamus is important to hypnotists because it is responsible for regulating so many vital functions in the body. For example, the Hypothalamus regulates hunger. If I am working with weight management clients, we work on their Hypothalamus by creating a new thought pattern of healthy eating, along with the related function of thirst. Why thirst? Water detoxifies and is necessary for normal cell function.

Few people know how much water they should drink. Do you know how much water you are supposed to drink every day? You should be drinking half (1/2) your body weight in ounces of water each day to rid your body of toxins, maintain correct circulation volume, and promote tissue hydration. Drinking water makes a big difference, not just for persons over weight, but also for pain management. If you’re not drinking half your body weight in ounces of water every day, your liver must take up some of the work of your kidneys that need fluid in order to filter toxins. If you consume coffee (or other caffeinated beverages), you have to counter the diuretic affects with double the volume of water. So, if you just swallowed an eight-ounce cup of coffee, you have to replace the lost fluids with 8-ounces of water.

Our responses to pain, our levels of pleasure, our sexual satisfaction, anger, aggressive behavior and more are all packed into the Hypothalamus. Research shows that using hypnosis allows those responses to bypass the cognitive part of our brain and go directly to the Limbic System and the Hypothalamus. That is why hypnosis works so well for pain, weight management, behavioral changes, and the elimination of substance abuse. It is simply this, “Change the mind, change the brain, change the behavior.”

The Hypothalamus also regulates the functioning of the parasympathetic (rest and digest) and the sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous systems, which in turn means it regulates things like pulse, blood pressure, breathing, and arousal in response to emotional circumstances. Therefore, changing thoughts also changes our health. Ultimately hypnosis is used, along with other psychological techniques, to retrain the brain’s response through the Limbic System.

How many people have you known that break out in hives or are plagued with severe headaches? In many cases the hives and headaches are their response to stress. I treated a lady for Herpes Zoster, otherwise known as Shingles. This illness is wrapped up in emotions. The nervous system is activated which triggers a stress response that in turn, activates the virus.

Dr. John Rowlingson, the director of the University of Virginia Department of Anesthesiology Pain Management Center, is quoted as saying, “[The Limbic System] might explain why therapies that act primarily in the brain, such as hypnosis, biofeedback, and brain stimulation, work so well to control pain.” The mind is united with the body through messenger molecules or neurotransmitters. Our emotions, sensations, thoughts, and images of consciousness use common communication channels with the molecular-genetic mechanisms of the body. Everything works together. Therefore, if you want to increase your immune system, smile, have a happy thought, and commune with nature. The limbic system does not know the difference between a fake smile and a real smile. Therefore, the response to a fake smile is the same as a real smile.

Stress Kills – Take 5 and Survive. Go to http://www.healthyvisions.net/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=SKT5

Part 2 tomorrow

The Limbic System and the Body Part 1

Ron_Eslinger — Wed, 26 May 2010 17:44:04 +0000

The Limbic System and the Body
by Ron Eslinger, CRNA

Stress Kills – Take 5 and Survive. Go to http://www.healthyvisions.net/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=SKT5

Part 2 tomorrow

The Limbic System and the Body Part 1

Ron_Eslinger — Wed, 26 May 2010 17:17:24 +0000

The Limbic System and the Body
by Ron Eslinger, CRNA

Stress Kills – Take 5 and Survive. Go to http://www.healthyvisions.net/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=SKT5

Part 2 tomorrow

The Limbic System and Memory

Ron_Eslinger — Wed, 19 May 2010 14:35:13 +0000

The Limbic System and Memory

Ron Eslinger www.eslinger.net, www.mycecredit.com, www.hypnosiscertification.com

The hippocampus, which controls memory, is another player within the Limbic System. There are three types of memory: working memory, declarative memory, and procedural memory. The hippocampus is critical in cementing declarative memory, which can be compared to the memory in the hard drive of a computer.

Types of Memory
Working Memory	Completes short-term functions like adding, speaking, and following directions.	Does not become permanent memory.
Declarative Memory	Composed of facts, figures, and names.	This information is stored by the hippocampus.
Procedural Memory	Composed of actions, habits, and skills.	This information becomes reflexive.

Three types of memory exist, but only declarative memory impacts our perception of reality.

The working memory is similar to the RAM of a computer or a temporary file. The information stored is used as needed. Then the cache is deleted to make room for more temporary files. So you wonder why you run to the store intending to buy a loaf of bread, but when you return home you wife asks, “Okay. Where’s that loaf of bread?” You just forgot it, because you started thinking about other things and the temporary file was deleted. My wife always reminds me to write down more details when asking for directions. Although I listen to the directions, I fail to create a picture image with their words or I do not write the instructions. The details vanish before I am able to even use the information. Other examples of short-term memory include addition of numbers and composing sentences. You use the information and then erase it. There is no need to remember it anymore.

Declarative memory is similar to the hard drive of a computer; composed of all the facts, figures and names you learn throughout your life. For example, I have a difficult time with names. I recall my experiences with someone long before I can recall their name. As an acquaintance approaches, I start thinking to myself, “Oh no. I can’t remember their name. What’s their name? What’s their name?” and finally out loud to my wife, “Honey, what’s their name?” My own self-talk activates my Amygdala System, creating fear and producing stress hormones that degrade and suppress my memory. I have such a difficult time that I depend on my wife to remember names for me. When we see someone we recently met, she speaks first and says their name. It is so helpful and then all of my memories about that person start flowing.

And in the Navy I was in a position where I had to remember 50 names and give all of those names to my commanding officer during an inspection. I could have actually written them down, but I wanted to make an impression. I established a system. Every time I introduced myself to one of the people in my platoon, they gave me their name and I repeated it back to them. On inspection day, my commanding officer asked, “Well, where’s your list?” I answered, “It’s in my head.” She was not too confident, but I did remember each name. There is solid proof that I can remember names, I just need the right self talk. The details you have learned in the past are present in your memory today. You can bring them back by relaxing your mind and focusing your attention.

All your experiences are in your memory as well. Unfortunately some experiences are negative. Recalling those moments sends shivers up and down the spine. Other memories are happy and make you smile. For example, a mother can recall a really funny thing her toddler said years ago.

Recently, I attended the 75^th anniversary celebration of my hospital’s nursing school. A classmate and I sat chatting about college and careers when a memory from 35 years earlier popped into my head. I recalled a child who refused to drink her milk. I stood next to the child trying to coax her into drinking her milk. All of a sudden the intercom system blared, “This is the Lord speaking. Drink your milk.” The kid’s eyes got really big and she grabbed her milk and started to drink. My former classmate even remembered the little girl’s name, Jenny. I had not thought of Jenny for 35 years, but sitting next to my classmate brought back the memory and the humor of that moment. All of our memories are stored and there is no way to know when a memory will be triggered, or while that memory may be.

However, we do not know where the hippocampus stores all of these memories. We do know cortisol, a stress hormone can degrade memory. Memories, which can be activated with electrical impulses tile so stimulate hormones and neurotransmitters. Cortisol can degrade this activation which is demonstrated in the video, What in and the bleep… do we know. As a result, the memory as a single unit or file is fragmented. During recall, we fit together a piece of the puzzle here and a piece of the puzzle there and put it back together as a complete memory. Hypnotic processes help reconstruct the pieces of a puzzle. Hypnosis helps one to remember how they are supposed to feel, replacing the memory of pain or stress with a new memory of comfort. Hypnosis brings memories back together completing the picture. However, memories can be as false as they can be true. All members were based on perception and perception becomes the reality.

Procedural memory is stored as conditioned responses for reflexes. Reflexes are actions, habits or skills that are learned simply through repetition.

We all develop procedural memories. One of the first procedural memories you may remember was learning to drive a car. I learned to drive on a standard shift or standard transmission. Do you remember the first time you were sitting in the car? You may have been thinking, “Okay I’ve got my right foot on the brake. I’ve got my left foot on the clutch. I’ve got to take my right foot, put it on the gas and lift my left foot up at the same time.” The next thing we hear is ‘thump, thump, thump’ and the car stalls in the driveway.

You go for a drive. You are driving down the street and you see a red traffic light. “Oh no, there’s a red light. I have to take my right foot off the gas and put it on the brake. I have to put my left foot on the clutch. Oh please don’t stall. Please don’t stall.” That is the first week. What happens during the second week? Well guys, you have one arm around your girlfriend and you say, “Here, change the gears for me.” The process becomes natural, a reflex condition.

Great athletes become great athletes by developing reflex conditions that put them in the zone for their sport. One afternoon I listened to a broadcast of National Public Radio (NPR). The host interviewed a gentleman in his sixties. This man holds the Guinness Book of World Records for the most consecutive free throw shots in basketball. How many free throws do you think he made? What did you guess? He made ten thousand consecutive free throws without missing one. As the story went, this record holder stopped because a basketball team scheduled a ball game on the court and he could no longer continue his shots. Some athletes make millions of dollars a year if they can make five out of ten free throws. During the interview, the Guinness Book of World Record’s narrator asked, “Sir, what are you thinking about when you’re shooting?”

He replies, “Young man, you can’t think. If you think, you’ll miss.”

That is really the truth of it. How many golfers, when teeing off at a water hole, automatically take out the water ball? You guessed it. Their expectation is to hit the ball into the water. Sure enough, it goes in the water.

In a similar manner, individuals with chronic pain may have created a reflex condition or trigger that activates the pain. Chronic pain patients actualize the pain reflex response. They expect to wakeup each morning with back pain, leg pain or even a migraine. Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever waked up in the morning thinking “I hurt all over?” So I emphasize to my clients, that the first thing to do when you wake in the morning is to say to yourself, “I feel better today. I feel better today.” Although, I certainly care if the person is in pain, the idea is to recreate in the procedural memory, a reinforcement and repetition of a healing memory. Words make a difference because words and thoughts affect the Limbic System that affects the perception and response to pain. Positive repetitions enforce new neuro networking which decreases the pain. Conversely, negative thoughts and even the fear of pain can increase pain.

THE AMYGDALA

Ron_Eslinger — Mon, 17 May 2010 12:44:22 +0000

Ron Eslinger
www.eslinger.net

The Amygdala deals with reward and fear acting as a filter for external events. Its responses are based on perceptions learned from past events. The Amygdala is protective and prone to signaling danger. You may have experienced a response from the Amygdala, when you experience a frightening event real or imagined that resulted in reflex reactions. How many of you have sat in a theater and watched a scary movie? You hold your popcorn in one hand and your drink in the other. All of a sudden somebody jumps out behind a corner on screen and your drink goes one way and you drench your friend. Your popcorn goes the other way and you sprinkle your neighbor with popcorn. The Amygdala System sees the screen and reacts. It does not realize the event is not actually happening to you. Your body responds as though you are a part of the event and as if the event were real. The Amygdala is always on guard and reacting to a perceived reality. Often this reaction is an over-reaction based on past experiences and perception. Ultimately, perception to the Amygdala is reality.

The Amygdala perceives all events as truth. It does not distinguish between a television show, a bad memory, or a real event. The little hairs on the back of your neck that stand on end as you read through the latest Stephen King book is a perfect example of the Amygdala System activating your autonomic nervous system. To the Amygdala, all events are real because it is not able to evaluate truth from perception. In a similar manner, it does not matter whether the event is positive or negative. The Amygdala System responds the same way to either type of stress.

Although the ultimate output is also controlled by the autonomic nervous system, the flight or fight process is already activated. This is the problem. In short bursts, the Amygdala System responds like a champ and our bodies handle the activation. It is only when the stress responses become constant or occur over long periods of time that these responses start causing problems within our body. If an individual is walking around under stress all of the time that person is in a constant activated state of fight or flight. A majority of their blood is circulating through the larger muscles of the arms and the legs. This robs other areas of the body of blood flow and oxygen on a regular basis. This occurs frequently in the gut and is a major underlying cause of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

The Limbic System and Stress

Ron_Eslinger — Fri, 14 May 2010 12:41:37 +0000

The Limbic System and Stress
Ron Eslinger
www.eslinger.net

Medically speaking, the human body is made up of four significant vital signs. They are heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, and respiratory rate. A fifth vital sign was introduced in 2000. The fifth vital sign is pain. As with other vital signs, pain impacts a number of functions such as emotions, behavior, long-term memory and olfactory senses (sense of smell). The Limbic System influences these same functions. Understanding how the Limbic System operates is key to understanding and working with chronic pain.

The Limbic System is composed of the hypothalamus, pituitary, amygdala and hippocampus glands within the brain.

When functioning normally, the Limbic System sets the emotional tone of the mind and influences changes throughout the body through chemical messages. It filters external events through internal states and creates an emotional color for each event. The Limbic System tags events as internally important, creating priorities for responses. Highly emotionally charged memories are established through the activities of the Limbic System and are stored for future reference. Memories and emotions are stored and recalled correctly when the Limbic System is functioning normally.

However, what happens when the Limbic System is functioning abnormally numerous health problems can occur. Physical problems, such as a lack of sleep, too much stress, or chronic pain, exacerbate the problems created by an out-of-balance Limbic System. The results are devastating, leading to moodiness, irritability and ultimately to clinical depression. Often Prozac® or other Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) are prescribed to help those with out of balance Limbic Systems. In some cases, depending on the external factors, these imbalances can result in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is the essence of stress turning into distress.

Limbic System Out of balance can cause both Physical and Psychological Problems such as:
• Lack of Sleep
• Increased Stress
• Chronic Pain
• Irritability and Moodiness
• Clinical Depression
• Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

The Limbic System provides balance to many daily activities.

An out of balance Limbic System contributes to common problems we observe every day. We perceive these problems as negative thinking, decreased motivation, or disruptions in our normal routines. When the Limbic System malfunctions it results in a flood of negative emotions, tearing up for women and irritability in men.

In addition to negativity, lack of functionality also decreases motivation. A decrease in motivation can lead to social isolation. Even more serious physical symptoms can surface, such as appetite and sleep problems. These changes result in either eating too much or too little, or sleeping too much or not enough. One can even experience a decrease or increase sexual responsiveness.

It listens to every thought!

Hypnosis

Ron_Eslinger — Tue, 11 May 2010 14:48:02 +0000

Part 3 of this series

Hypnosis
By Ron Eslinger

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, conducts and supports medical research throughout the nation. The NIH defines hypnosis as a traditional psychological intervention; therefore it is not listed as an alternative therapy.

The word hypnosis is from the Greek word ‘Hypnos’ meaning sleep. James Braid labeled the trance-like state ‘hypnosis’ because people’s eyes were closed and most individuals appeared to be sleeping. Despite the appearance of sleep, hypnosis is a state of complete relaxation. People are not asleep when they are in hypnosis. During hypnosis, awareness actually increases allowing the mind the ability to concentrate and focus. The potential for sleep during hypnosis exists, but by definition hypnosis is not a state of sleep. Even though there is still controversy, my clinical definition of hypnosis is a decrease of the brain activity into an alpha or theta cycles per second. Such a state allows an individual to respond to suggestions made during hypnosis.
The frequency range of Alpha is approximately 7 to 14 cps. This is the “state” one hears so much about in metaphysics. It’s associated with meditation, hypnosis, daydreaming, REM sleep, `spacing out’, `vegging out’. All those states of mind are when you are “in” alpha.

The frequency range of Theta is approximately 4 to 7 cps. This state is associated with “deeper” hypnosis. Generally when a person is under anesthesia, they will be in a theta brainwave pattern.

HYPNOSIS IS NOT
Loss of Control
Control by the subject
Sleep
Being controlled by someone else
A form of Black Magic
Being gullible
An abuse of the person’s desires or capabilities

Common misconceptions related to the reality of hypnosis.

Hypnosis

The frequency range of Theta is approximately 4 to 7 cps. This state is associated with “deeper” hypnosis. Generally when a person is under anesthesia, they will be in a theta brainwave pattern.

Many people still think hypnosis is a form of Voodoo, Hocus Pocus and even black magic, but hypnosis is neither black magic nor magic of any kind. There is absolutely nothing the hypnotist can do that is an imposition on a person’s will during hypnosis. If a person does not want to quit smoking, he or she is not going to quit. If one is not willing to give up or decrease pain, they are not going to experience relief. A person can only achieve what he or she is willing to accept in hypnosis or self-hypnosis. Hypnosis is not what the hypnotist does to a client, but rather what the client is willing to accept from the hypnotist as the facilitator.

Some people are concerned about whether hypnosis allows abuse over an individual’s desires or capabilities. For example, a hairdresser came to me requesting hypnosis for smoking cessation. In those days, she could smoke on the job. She was very hypnotizable and went into hypnosis very quickly and very deeply. She was so hypnotizable that upon her one week follow up appointment, she stated that she did not want a single cigarette anymore. She was the perfect success story.

However, about three weeks later I received a telephone call from her. Her co-workers at the beauty salon told her they could not believe that she allowed some one to take control of her mind. So what do you think she does? She called me and demanded that I hypnotize her again to give her smoking habit back to her. She did not want me controlling her mind any more. For some reason, she did not mind going back into hypnosis to become a smoker again.

Unfortunately, this is the kind of logic or lack of logic we face sometimes. She reasoned, as long as she was a non-smoker, she was under my control. She did not understand that the suggestive influence of her friends hypnotized her into believing I was controlling her mind. She refused to believe that it was her choice. Peer pressure were stronger than her desire to stop smoking, which is often the case

Many misconceptions about hypnosis exist today. However, the practice and process of hypnosis remains a consistent and safe approach to relieving anxiety, eliminating harmful habits, and reducing pain. Many modern studies support the positive results I see in my practice every day. Although science continues to study why hypnosis works, there are many studies that reveal the complex interaction between our minds and our bodies.

I stated earlier that hypnosis is nothing more than focused concentration. It is also defined as an altered state of consciousness during which a person’s thoughts are at an alpha or theta brain wave frequency. Hypnosis is a state of complete awareness of all our surroundings. But in hypnosis that awareness may increase by 200-percent and is turned inward. This concentrated focus enhances the ability of the subconscious mind to accept and respond to suggestions. The subconscious mind is not just in the brain or the head. According to research completed by Candace Pert, Ph.D., a research professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at Georgetown University, Washington, DC. She states that the subconscious mind is a part of every cell within the body. Every cell in the body has memory units. Each cell has over 6,000 receptor sites for proteins capable of interacting with signals and converting those signals into intracellular activity. Through molecular division, each cell divides into a daughter cell and the mother cell dies. The daughter cells replace the parent cells, however they still contain the cellular activity or memory of the mother cell. This cell replacement process occurs every three months, except in skeleton cells that divide every six months. With each division and replacement new memories can replace old memories, creating new behaviors from the cellular level.

Studies of the heart confirm that it also has its own consciousness. The heart does not receive signals from the brain to make it beat. It beats independently by responding to electrical impulses from the Sinoatrial Node (SA node) and the Artioventricular Node (AV node). The brain does not control the heart’s increase or decrease in speed either. Instead, the heart responds to signals provided by the vagus nerve. This independence affords the heart its own consciousness. The heart also is greatly influenced by the fight or flight response which is covered later in this text As we study the Limbic system and stress.

HeartMath, LLC (HeartMath) is a company that offers training products used in the evaluation of stress relative to heart or cardiac performance. The Emwave, a stress relief system produced by HeartMath, measures the rhythm of the heart against coherence with the brain. I use similar techniques with both pain patients and in an Anger Management Program. Like biofeedback, Emwave lets the individual experience how thoughts change physiology and impact the unconscious responses of the heart. Any time an individual is able to control their response to stress, they can also control 85-percent of the medical problems in their life. Emwave is a wonderful avenue for therapy that can be used by practitioners and individuals for self-help.

The Challenge of Individual Pain Management

Ron_Eslinger — Mon, 10 May 2010 18:51:10 +0000

The Challenge of Individual Pain Management

This posting explores how hypnosis is used effectively for the relief of chronic pain and pain management. The pain experience is multifactorial, affecting individuals physically, psychologically, sociologically, and spiritually. Through the exploration of pain and its many facets, I touch on the basic principles behind why hypnosis is effective.

The Pain Experience
o Physical
o Psychological
o Sociological
o Spiritual
Figure 1 – There are four elements
of the pain experience.

Hypnosis is a fascinating domain of clinical research and practice. It involves the study of how seemingly ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things by using their minds. The mind is used to focus on mental images, thoughts, and ideas that influence the human body’s response in very special ways. [YAPKO – R]

From Mesmer’s studies and Braid’s practices, we know there is a great deal of flexibility in what the mind experiences. Individuals become so deeply absorbed in their daily life experiences, that they permit their body to become more comfortable, even in the presence of injury. This is the foundation of hypnotic analgesia or hypnotic anesthesia. The ability to make the body more comfortable represents the most sophisticated use of hypnosis.

Hypnotic analgesia is the use of hypnosis to reduce or diminish bodily sensations. It allows for a decrease in the pain sensation. A more powerful tool for pain management is hypnotic anesthesia. The hypnotic anesthesia process refers to the total elimination of sensations and pain, allowing for complete relief of symptoms. This complete relief of pain leads to a common misconception about pain management through hypnosis. People assume that if pain exists and the pain is reduced through hypnosis, then the pain is psychological or in other works, the pain is in your head. Therefore the paint is not real.

Nothing is further from the truth. Hypnotic anesthesia eliminates real pain. For example, hypnosis has been reported as the sole anesthetic in major surgical procedures (hypnotic anesthesia). Resent research also advocates the use of hypnosis prior to surgery to lessen pain, shorten hospital stays, and reduce subsequent nausea and vomiting. The incision and physical effects of surgery are obviously quite real and often dramatic. The elimination of the sensations and pain of surgery through the use of hypnosis is equally as real. Regardless of the situation, the application of hypnosis is routine. The same principles used to apply hypnotic anesthesia for surgical patients are also used in numerous situations to help people manage chronic pain, end addictions, and eliminate fears. These useful applications of hypnosis are discussed in more detail later in this book.

Hypnosis as an adjunct to medicine and surgery allows one to decrease pain and enhance healing. Often, a person with chronic pain may feel victimized and helpless. Hypnosis gives the person greater self-control. This self-control decreases the fight or flight response. Self-control also decreases the level of stress hormones. Both the reduction in fight or flight, and the decrease in stress hormones can lead to a significant decrease in pain.

If you have experienced hypnosis, you know that hypnosis is nothing more than focus and concentration. Hypnosis allows one to comfortably and easily set aside all of the demands and pressures of everyday life. If you have never experienced hypnosis before, I can safely say you will truly enjoy the experience. It feels good and more importantly, it opens the doors to a new perspective for making healthy changes in your life. In my early career during the late 70s, many of my clients compare the feeling they got while in hypnosis with the sensations they got when they were smoking marijuana. You can decide for yourself.

Modern Hypnosis and Its Benefit for Pain Management

Ron_Eslinger — Thu, 06 May 2010 18:56:34 +0000

Modern Hypnosis and Its Benefit for Pain Management
We are not a waiting society. We all want everything right now. We’re instant oatmeal, instant grits, instant coffee and instant pudding! We’re instant everything, aren’t we? And one of the things that I’ve noticed about pain management is that it actually can be instant. Just turn off the pain with out surgery and without pills; sounds like magic, but it isn’t. It’s based on scientific method and the body’s capability to heal itself quickly while working with the subconscious.

What grabbed my attention most about hypnosis in my early career were the positive dramatic effects I observed with chronic pain patients. The majority of people observed noticeable pain relief right away. Many patients experienced total relief from pain.

How does it work so fast and so well? Imagine you are injured. Your nervous system sends a signal to your brain communicating the message that an injury has taken place. The brain takes the electrical impulse and relays it to the endocrine system where hormones or neurotransmitters come into play. At that point, cells begin communicating with one another and your brain formulates how to proceed. The most important part of this scenario is that the process begins with a simple electrochemical message.